Safety device for signal-operators.



iNo. 834,845. v PATENTED OCT. 30, 1906.

- y B. A. OVENSHIRB.

AFETY DEVICE FOR SIGNAL OPERATORS.

- A PPLIOATION rmm MAB..16.1906.

mnntoz BADvcnshire,

UNITED STATES PATENT orrron, BE T A fovENsH'IRE, or CAMMAL,PENNSYLVANIA.

VISAFETY DEVICE FOR SlGNAh-OPERATORS- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. so, 1906.

Application filed March 16, 1906. Serial No- 306,479.

To all whmn it may concern:

, Be it known that I, BERT A. OVENSHIRE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cammal, in the county of Lycoming and State of Pennsylvania,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices forSign al-Operators, of which the following is a specification.

In connection with block-signal systems for thehandling ofrailway-trains it is customary' to employ in the operators tower aseries of handles or levers designed. to vary the lights, semaphores,targets, or similar display-signals along the track, according to thetelegraphic orders received by the operator in the tower, toindicate toan approaching train whether the block be occupied or not by anothertrain or, in short, whether i the engine-driver of the oncoming trainshall pass into the next block with a clear track ahead or to proceedwith caution expecting a train in the said block. To convey these ordersto the engine-driver in the almost universally-recognized custom, a redand a green signal are employed, both being preferably manipulated byhand-levers in the operators tower and said levers being preferablyarranged side by side, so that when red and green levers are thrown overfrom the danger-point a clear track will be indicated and if only'redlever be thrown over from the danger-point it will be indicated that theengine-driver should proceed with caution, ex-

ecting a train in the next block. When,

iowever, a station or block-tower has orders for a train, these leversmust not be pulled from red position for any train until these ordersare executed. Under the present conditions, as I am aware of them, nomeans have heretofore been provided whereby to prevent the lever frombeing pulled from the danger position, except the vigilance andcarefulness of the operator himself; and the object of my invention isto provide an improved means which will not only prevent the throwing ofthe levers from the danger position without sharply bringing to theattention of the operator the fact that he is changing the signals, butwhich will also serve as a means for calling his attention to the orderwhich he has received for the expected trains when he proceeds to adjustthe signals in any manner.

With this object in view the invention consists, essentially, of animproved locking device designed to slip over the handle ends of thesignal-levers into contact with the handle portions of thelocking-detents and in such position that it will be impossible to presssuch handle portions of the detents toward the levers to unlock thelatter until my improved device shall have been removed, the saidlocking device at the same time serving as a tablet or board for thedisplay of the various trainorders, so that the latter will be called tothe operators attention before he removes the locking device preparatoryto companying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective viewillustrating my invention applied. Fig. 2 is avertical sectional view.Fig. 3 is a horizontal section. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view ofthe hood constituting the locking device of my invention, said hoodbeing shown detached'from the tablet or board designed for the displayof the various train-orders.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicatedin all the views of the drawings by the samereference characters.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the ordinaryquadrant, and 2 designates the levers for operating the signals in anydesired or customary manner, said levers being provided with handleportions 3 and with detents 4, designed to hold the levers locked intheir different positions in the slots of the quadrant in the well-knownmanner. The detents 4 are in the resent instance provided with the usualhan pressing portlons 5, so that the operator may readily disengage thedetents from the quadrant by pressing on the ortion 5 While his handsrest upon the han le portion 3 of the lever. All of the above-namedparts may be of any desired form and construction. In connection withthis signal-operating means my invention comprises a locking device,which in the present instance is in the form of a hood 6, designed to beinserted downward over the operating ends or handle portions 3 of thelevers 2 and provided with a rearwardly-extending flange 7 at its lowerend designed to contact with the inner sides of the handle portions 5 ofthe detents 4 to prevent the movement thereof. The hood 6 is preferablyprovided at one side with a downward extension 8, which bears againstone side of the levers to rigidly support the hood in place. In orderthat the hood may serve as a convenient support for train-orders, asintimated at the outset of the description, it has secured to its frontface a tablet or board 9, which may be provided on its outer surfacewith a series of prongs or hooks 10, preferably arranged indiagonallyextending series, with their points facing upwardly inconvenient position to be pierced, and thereby support train-orders, asshown at 11.

From the foregoing description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, it will be noted that the hood 6 not only constitutes a wedgebetween the handle portions of the levers 2 and the handle portions 5 ofthe de tents 4, so that it will prevent the release of the levers, butit also constitutes, in connection with the tablet 9, a convenient meansfor displaying train-orders in such a position that the operator willhave his attention called thereto before he can change the signals, asit will be necessary for him to grasp the tablet or hood and detach thesame from the levers before he can manipulate the levers to vary thesignals. Hence it will be practically impossible for him to overlook anytrainorders or to throw. the si nal-levers from the danger-pointindicated in Fig. 1 without having his attention called to the orders,and I therefore believe that many serious accidents may be averted bythe use of my safety device.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. Adevice of the character described, comprising a hood designed to beinserted over the handle ends of signal-operating levers and arranged towedge against the handle portions of the detents thereof, as and for thepurpose set forth.

2. The combination with signal-operating levers and their hand-releaseddetents, of detachable means designed to wedge between the handleportions of the levers and said detents, as and for the purpose setforth.

3. A device of the character described, comprising a hood designed to beinserted over the handle ends of signal-operating levers and provided atits lower end with a flange designed to engage the hand pressing portionof the detents of said levers, for the purpose specified.

4. A device of the character described comprising a locking device forthe detents of signal-operating levers, and a display-tablet fortrain-orders, supported by said locking device.

5. A device of the character described comprising a hood designed to beinserted over the handle ends of signal-operating levers and arranged tolock the detents thereof, and a tablet supported by said hood for thepurpose specified.

6. A device of the character described comprising a hood designed to beinserted over the handle ends of signal-operating levers and a tabletsecured to said hood and provided with hooks by which. train-orders maybe attached to said tablet in display position.

7. A device of the character described comprising a hood designed to beinserted over the handle ends of signal-operating levers and providedwith a diagonally-extending series of hooks for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BERT A. OVENSHIRE. [L. s.]

Witnesses:

D. E. SPLANN, H. J. HOLT.

